Ruwe Goes The Distance To Top Sioux City

SIOUX CITY, IA -- With a taxed bullpen late in the season, the Sioux Falls Canaries needed their starting pitcher to go deep into the game on Friday. Kyle Ruwe did that and more in his final start.

Ruwe (11-7) threw his third complete game of the year on 142 pitches, leading the Canaries (40-57) to a 7-1 win over the Sioux City Explorers (35-62) in the Birds’ final road contest of 2013. The two teams split the four-game series, and the Birds finished 9-6 against their I-29 rivals.

Despite giving up 10 hits and six walks while never throwing a 1-2-3 inning, Ruwe wiggled in and out jams all evening, stranding 11 runners. His infielders helped him with three double plays. Ruwe even overcame an apparent three-ball walk in the fourth inning when umpires seemingly lost track of the count and award a base on balls to Alberto Espinosa.

In logging nine innings, Ruwe has accumulated 155 1/3 innings pitched, setting a new single-season record previous held by Nick Schumacher of Sioux City (2011). Ben Moore, Saturday’s starting pitcher, has tallied 147 innings. Ruwe’s win guaranteed he will have the most victories for the Canaries this year.

Reggie Abercrombie’s two-out, two-run home run in the fifth inning broke a 1-1 tie and put the Birds ahead for good. It was his second consecutive game with a home run and his seventh of the year. Stephen King doubled home a run in the sixth and then scored on Nick Van Stratten’s single for a 5-1 lead.

In the eighth inning, the Canaries loaded the bases with nobody out, and Van Stratten promptly lined a two-run single to center for the final two runs.

Sioux City Andy Noga (4-12) suffered the loss, lasting 4 2/3 innings. He gave up three runs on five hits and four walks.

Fresh off being named a league all-star on Friday Van Stratten, finished 2-for-5 with three RBI to maintain a.349 average. Abercrombie was 3-for-5, and Stephen King went 2-for-3.

The Canaries final home series of the year begins at 7:05 p.m. on Saturday against the Amarillo Sox.